


It's been a long time since 22

by stirringofmysoul



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-02 12:11:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13317837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stirringofmysoul/pseuds/stirringofmysoul
Summary: The year is 2021 and One Direction is reuniting for the first time in five years.  Louis Tomlinson will have to face everything from his former life head on.  The fans.  The lads.  The one that got away…





	It's been a long time since 22

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a work of fiction. None of the events in this story are true. I do not own any members of One Direction or any public figures mentioned in this story. I do, however, own all original characters. All flashbacks are in italics. Enjoy!

**November 2020**

The familiar opening jingle of Entertainment Tonight hazily played in Louis Tomlinson's ear. He debated turning off the tv, but the remote was too far out of reach and, frankly, he was too lazy to crawl out from under his duvet. 

This was a decision he would instantly regret as soon as Nancy O'Dell opened the show. 

"Do you hear that?" Nancy asked, cupping her hand around her ear. "That's the sound of millions of ladies shrieking with joy. Yes, that's right everyone's favorite boy band is back." 

Nancy's co-anchor, Kevin Frazier, took over. "One Direction took the world by storm after appearing on the UK's X Factor back in 2010. This morning the group announced they will be dropping a new album and embarking on a 40 city worldwide tour next summer. This will be an end to their hiatus, which began in early 2016." 

"I don't know about you Kevin, but with their break beginning nearly five years ago…I had my doubts we'd ever see the boys…well, I guess they're men now…together again," Nancy said with a laugh. 

"Nancy, these are men of their word. They promised their fans 2016 was not the end and here in 2020 they are making good on that promise," Kevin said. 

"Here's Keltie Knight with tonight's cover story," Nancy said. 

B-roll of the boys performing during the On the Road Again Tour filled the screen as Keltie began… 

"Syco Music has announced the wildly popular boy band, One Direction, will be reuniting for a new album, as well as a worldwide summer 2021 tour. The last time we saw the foursome together was right after the release of their fifth studio album, Made in the A.M. After nearly five years of creating smash hit after smash hit and literally performing around the globe the boys decided a break was in order. Though it doesn't seem like there's been much R &R." 

A montage of Harry performing with Stevie Nicks, Niall and Shawn Mendes in the studio, Liam with Cheryl and Bear, and finally a clip of Louis' own music video for Miss You played as Keltie said, "Solo albums and other individual projects have kept the boys busy. Frontman, Harry Styles, was the first to release his own music. His self-titled album shot up the Billboard Charts, earning him a number one spot in May 2017. In addition to his music, the fashion icon started his own gender-neutral garment line, Your Own Self, which has received accolades from the clothing industry." 

"Everyone's favorite Irishman, Niall Horan, wasn't far behind releasing Flicker in October 2017. With hits like This Town and Slow Hands, the album sat comfortably on the charts and was followed by a cross-country summer tour in 2018. Niall is a man in demand these days and has most recently been collaborating with pop superstar, Shawn Mendes."

"Liam Payne didn't let any grass grow under his feet. In addition to welcoming a son, Bear, with now ex-wife, Cheryl Cole, Liam released a solo project in January 2018. While his album did achieve some commercial success Liam has been spending most of his time these days behind the scenes producing for other artists." 

"And that leaves Louis Tomlinson. The singer has had his fair share of unflattering headlines during the hiatus…mostly famously a fight with a photographer at LAX that landed him in court. But Louis has let his music do the talking and released a solo album in February 2018. Though hailed as lyrically genius the album didn't gain much traction on the charts. Currently he can be found writing for other artists." 

Keltie's face filled the screen. She was surrounded by a group of women who were happily cheering. "It looks like Christmas has come early this year! Though the fan-base is a bit older now they are still as enthusiastic as ever. I doubt there will be any empty seats in arenas around the world next summer. Nancy, Kevin…back to you," she concluded. 

Louis fumbled for the remote. He couldn't take any more of this. His finger connected to the power button and the room became blessedly quiet. 

Those nitwits were only reporting half the story. They left out the part where Syco gave the boys no choice but to fulfill their contractual obligation for one more album. Instead of just pumping out a Greatest Hits collection they were insisting on completely new music. And to add insult to injury a worldwide tour was on the agenda as well. 

Also missing…the fact the four boys hadn't all been in the same room together in nearly five years. Sure they saw each other here and there and would drop the occasional text message, but the foursome was no longer the band of brothers fans believed them to be. 

A lot had happened since 2016…Louis had lost his mum, he lost his brothers…he lost the love of his life. 

_"We've been together since I was sixteen years old. This break…it's a chance for me to find myself. It's like I don't even know who I am without you. I need to just be me for a while…I want to know what that even feels like," Harry said to him._

What could Louis possibly say to that? He had never denied Harry anything during their time together and he wasn't about to start. 

Now here he was about to be completely engulfed in a world he hadn't been a part of for so long. Back in the studio as part of a group…back on the road…back under the media's microscope. Louis was going to have to face everything from his former existence head on once again. 

The fans. The lads. The one that got away…

**December 2020**

The minute after the Entertainment Tonight piece aired Louis felt like he had traveled back in time. He was eighteen all over again and about to go on the ride of his life. Popping out to the store was no longer an option…paparazzi were lurking behind every bush. Friends he hadn't heard from in ages were suddenly blowing up his phone. Tabloid magazines and online outlets were posting headline after headline…digging deep for gossip that ranged from laughable (the boys were getting back into performance shape by practicing their act in nursing homes) to completely mental (Harry had died years ago and was now an alien clone). 

Two positives had come out of this, though. First, he had been talking more frequently with Liam and Niall. It was amazing how much some person to person interaction could brighten one's mood. And second, the fans' support for the new album and tour was astounding. He should have known that absence would only make the heart grow fonder. Louis almost felt better about the whole situation. 

Almost. 

He still hadn't spoken to Harry. It felt too awkward now. The last time they had spoken was after Robin passed away…and that had been ages ago. 

Louis stared at his phone. The blank screen was like a black void he was getting lost in on a daily basis. He sighed and tucked the device into his pocket. The whole ordeal was too daunting. 

"All set, Louis?" an overly perky blonde woman wearing a headset asked him. 

"Mmhmm, yep," he confirmed, flashing her a smile. 

Since Entertainment Tonight had broken the story it was only fair that they get the first round of interviews (well, that and Syco had an exclusive contract with the tv news magazine), which was how Louis found himself mic'd up with a (an interrogation) light shining in his eyes. The interview was going to be conducted via satellite so he didn't actually have to go into the studio…but with a camera, lighting, hair, and makeup crew traipsing through his LA home he wondered if it would have been easier to make the trek in. Then he remembered that would require going outside…nevermind. 

"Alright, in three, two, one…" the bushy-bearded cameraman said and pointed at Louis. 

He adjusted his earpiece and took a sip of tea as he waited for the Keltie Knight's voice to fill his ear. 

"Louis! Hi, it's so nice to talk to you," Keltie chirped. 

"Lovely to speak to you as well," Louis replied. Keltie was relatively new to ET so he had never dealt with her before. 

"I know your time is valuable so let's jump right in. Obviously, the question on everyone's mind…why the reunion now?" Keltie asked. 

"We promised the fans we weren't going away for good and after everything they've done for us there's no way we could let them down," Louis replied…just like he had practiced with the boys’ PR staff. After parting ways with Modest! they were now under the guidance of Dynamics! Management Company…not that there seemed to be much difference...they even used the same bloody exclamation point, for God sake. 

"How are you feeling about writing and performing again?" she asked. 

It was like no one remembered he hadn't stopped writing and performing. 

"I'm excited," Louis said, instead of correcting her. "Songwriting is a passion of mine and it's going to be great to bounce ideas off the boys again. As for performing…well, who wouldn't want millions of girls screaming for them every night?" As soon as those contrived words left his mouth he wanted to throw up. 

"I'm sure they're just as excited as you are! What are you looking forward to most?" she asked him. 

"Definitely being back with the boys. We've been through so much together that life is rather empty without them," Louis replied. 

"Ah, so sweet!" Keltie cooed, her voice grating on his ears. "Now I have to ask something a little personal if that's okay?" 

"Of course, fire away," Louis said. All the questions had been preapproved so he wasn't too concerned. 

"Do you think stepping back into the spotlight is going to stir up those old Larry Stylinson rumors?" she asked. 

What.The.Fuck. 

He swallowed and tried to come up with something to say that wasn't 'fuck off'. "I think people are going to think whatever they want and I hope that the main thing on their minds is enjoying our music," Louis replied as tactfully as he could. 

Keltie asked a few more inane questions that Louis barely remembered answering before the interview was over. While the crew started to break down the makeshift set Louis spied David Franklin, the Dynamics! rep who had been assigned to him. 

"What the fuck was that?" he hissed at David. "I thought all the questions had been preapproved." 

"They were," David said sharply. "It was important to get your denial on record," he explained to him. 

Louis just shook his head. He was definitely over this. He stomped up to his room, not caring if everyone thought he was behaving like a child. 

He closed the door to his room and flopped onto his unmade bed. He sprawled out on his back and hugged a pillow to his chest. He located his phone underneath a haphazardly tossed blanket and began crafting a strongly worded text to Niall about the interview when Harry’s name materialized on the screen. 

Louis' heart jumped up and lodged in his throat. He quickly sat up. This was happening. This was not a drill. It was really happening. 

With a shaky finger, he unlocked his phone and opened the message. 

_See you soon x. H_

**January 2021**

The holidays had come and gone. It was lovely to see his siblings and extended family, but all anyone wanted to talk about was the reunion. By the third day of his visit, Louis developed a 'stomach bug' and spent a lot of time hiding in the bathroom. 

Now it was time to get back to work. 

"Bless you," Louis said to the hostess as he reached with grabby hands for the cup of tea she had brought over for him. 

"My pleasure. Is there anything else I can get for you, Mr. Tomlinson?" the brunette woman politely asked. 

"This should do the trick. Thank you," Louis said before taking a sip and sighing gratefully. His leg bounced nervously as he waited for Niall and Liam to arrive at the airport lounge. 

Syco was flying himself, Niall, and Liam to London (Harry was already there). A house had been rented for the foursome to live in and work. The label wanted the album completed by March for an end of April release. The tour would start mid-May in Europe and end in North America in September. It was a lot to do with a short amount of time to do it in. Add to that the boys hadn't worked together in years. Despite their familiarity, there was bound to be some growing pains to overcome. 

Louis was exhausted just thinking about it. 

"Yes, I promise I will," Niall said into his iPhone as he breezed into the lounge. The Irishman was wearing a blue and white striped polo and sunglasses perched on top of his freshly dyed blonde hair. Louis had never gotten used to the brown color. "Alright, then. Cheers," he said as he ended the call. "Well, look what the cat dragged in," he said, grinning as he tucked his phone into his back pocket. 

Louis couldn't help but smile as he stood up. Niall had that effect on people. "Sunglasses, cell phone in hand…" he said as he looked his friend over. "You've gone Hollywood on me, mate." 

Niall threw his arms around him, nearly knocking him back down into his seat. He burped loudly in his ear. "Nah, not much has changed," he said with a grin. 

Louis hugged him back tightly. It was embarrassing to admit that this was the most physical contact he had had with anyone in a long time. "It's good to see you," he said sincerely. 

"You too," Niall said as he took a step back. "Ready to donate that genius brain of yours to us and write some sick lyrics?" 

Louis rolled his eyes. "Oh, come off it…" he tsked. "You're the one whose off and gone Platinum." 

Niall waved his hand dismissively. "Dumb luck I suppose…and I had loads of people helping me," he insisted. 

Louis gave a quick nod. "Seen Liam?" he asked, eager to get off the subject of his failed solo project. 

"Are you saying I beat Liam somewhere?" Niall asked, dramatically clutching at his chest. 

Louis laughed. "Historic moment. Better jot it down," he replied. 

"I just heard my name…should I be worried?" Liam's voice rang through the lounge as he walked inside. While Liam hadn't changed physically…still sleepy-eyed with a bit of a dopey grin…he seemed more polished. Probably had something to do with having a baby and an ex-wife and perhaps taking the time to fix his hair. 

"I beat you here!" Niall gleefully exclaimed as he and Liam embraced. 

"Hardly a minute," Liam tutted before turning his attention to Louis. "Tommo! In the flesh!" he exclaimed with a grin. 

"Payno!" Louis replied with a laugh as he embraced his friend. 

"It's good to see you," Liam said as he returned the hug. "It's been way too long…ah, come in here, Nialler, group hug." 

Niall joined in the embrace and said, "I swear if you start getting weepy on us, Li." 

"Can't a guy be happy to see his brothers?" Liam asked as they broke apart. 

Brothers. There's a word Louis hadn't associated with the lads in a while. It felt good, though. Perhaps he was turning into the weepy one. 

"Where's Haz?" Niall asked, suddenly realizing their foursome was only a trio at the moment. 

"He's in London…we're meeting him at the house. He's sent me some pictures of the place we're staying. Super posh," Liam explained to the pair. 

"I want to see," Niall demanded, holding out his hand for Liam’s phone. 

"You know, Harry…it's like a picture of a fountain and a fork," Liam said with a roll of his eyes. 

Niall laughed. "It'll be good to make fun of him to his face…he's such a shit texter that I can never get any good jabs in," he sighed. 

"Tommo…have you talked to Harry at all?" Liam asked, a hint of concern reflected in his tone. 

The text…the three-word text…and the x before his name. To which Louis had replied, _See you then._

Then nothing. 

"Erm, well…not quite," Louis replied after a beat. "But it'll be fine…suppose it has to be." 

"A bit lousy how this all came together," Niall spoke up after a moment. 

"Not that I'm not glad to see you boys, but…" Liam agreed. 

"It's going to be a big change," Louis said, fidgeting with the cuff on his hoodie. 

It was like the temperature in the room had suddenly dropped. 

"We need some drinks," Niall declared, rubbing his hands together as he looked over at the hostess’ stand on the other side of the room. 

"Here, here," Louis seconded. 

"Excuse me, miss?" Liam asked, already halfway across the lounge. 

*** 

The flight to London was uneventful. The alcohol gave Louis a nice warm, sleepy feeling. He had been positive being back with the lads was going to be awkward, but it wasn't. The banter flowed easily. It was like being home. 

The biggest hurdle was still yet to be crossed, though. 

Liam and Niall chatted animatedly on the ride to the house while the knot that was tightening in the pit of Louis' stomach seemed to prevent him from adding anything to the conversation. 

"Lou? We're here," Niall said, gently nudging him in the side. 

"Oh, right…" Louis said, waking up a bit from the fog he had been trapped in. 

Louis welcomed the drizzly rain that hit his skin as he walked up the front steps. LA was too bloody sunny for his taste. Give him grey skies and a nice cuppa any day. Before he could even give himself a pep talk about who was waiting for him on the other side of the door…it opened. 

"Welcome home, fellas," Harry said with a smile. 

*** 

The reunion was…well, not exactly what Louis expected. 

_He took a moment to drink Harry in. From the curls on his head and all the way down his long limbs...Louis felt exactly as he had ten years ago when he first laid eyes on him. Harry was enough to take your breath away._

_He was clad in a black t-shirt and skinny jeans...just socks on his feet. Louis felt like a slob in comparison, but he reminded himself he had spent all day traveling and gave himself a pass._

_"Lou," he said brightly and reached for a hug._

_"It's good to see you, H," Louis said as he returned the embrace._

And that was it. They talked a bit more over dinner, but it wasn't anything more than you'd tell an acquaintance. After they finished eating they took a tour of their new digs. 

The house had an open concept floor plan…modern in its style. Everything was done in soft whites and greys. The eat-in kitchen was furnished with stainless steel appliances and granite counters so nice Louis was afraid to touch them. There was a formal dining room and cozy entertainment room with a big screen television set, surround sound, and a ton of various video game consoles. Upstairs were four bedrooms (each with their own fireplace) done in a similar theme as the rest of the house with king size beds, walk-in closets, and en-suite bathrooms. Louis was 100% sure he could throw a party in his shower and accommodate at least fifty people. Downstairs was a fully loaded recording studio and sound booth. If you looked outside the garden stretched as far as the eye could see. Syco had spared no expense. 

*** 

"Tommo…Jamie and Julian will be here in about twenty minutes," Liam said, poking his head in Louis' bedroom the next morning. 

He felt that familiar knot in the pit of his stomach. After all the work Julian Bunetta and Jamie Scott had put into his solo album seeing them now would be embarrassing considering how poorly the record had done. 

_Louis had received several glowing reviews from music critics. Praise was given to his strong lyrics and unique arrangements. Fan reaction had been positive as well. Louis' album was being streamed heavily on Spotify and Twitter was all a buzz._

_But now it came down to numbers. If the album wasn't a commercial success there might not be another one._

_He nearly dropped the phone from his hands when the text he had been waiting for came through. He skimmed over the message…_

_Not what we had hoped for. Not reaching target demographics. Might have to reconsider tour plans._

_Putting out an album was like giving birth (well, Louis assumed so anyway). You bare your soul, you create, you nurture, you produce…and then you wait and see if it can stand on its own without you._

_And he had fallen._

"Brilliant. I'll meet you down in the studio," he replied. 

*** 

Julian and Jamie greeted Louis with genuine smiles and warm hugs. That dread that had been rattling around inside of him was placated for the moment. 

Julian clapped his hands together. "Well, now that we have the band back together," he said with a laugh. "It's time to talk logistics. We have our marching orders." 

"Syco wants twelve tracks and two bonus and probably an extra one for the Target version," Jamie explained, leaning back in his seat like he had never left it. 

"We don't have a lot of time, but we've worked with less," Julian said. He looked at the boys expectantly. "So how should we do this? Toss out ideas? Work in smaller groups?" 

"Niall and I had actually been texting some ideas back and forth…lemme find the message," Liam said from his spot on the arm of the couch. He thumbed through his phone. 

Louis curled up in the plush armchair he had settled in, grateful someone was taking charge of all this. Writing had always been cathartic for him, but it had been a while since he had written something for himself. He had been hesitant to put himself out there again. 

"Ah, here we are," he said, tapping an audio file of Niall's strumming. As the music played Liam sang a bit of a chorus. 

Harry nodded his head, scooting closer to the end of the couch so he could see the words. They began to harmonize. 

Niall eagerly looked over at Louis and he gave him a smile. "It's great," he agreed. 

"Why don't you all try it?" Julian suggested. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent crafting more lyrics, Niall playing along, a lot of bad jokes, and eating shitty takeaway. 

Not a bad way to spend the day. 

**February 2021**

Louis stared up at the ceiling of the bedroom he was staying in. Three weeks had passed since the boys moved into the London house. 

While he wasn't contributing as much as he should be to the writing process the boys were pumping out song after song. It looked like they were on track to hit their deadlines. 

A knock on the door snapped Louis back to reality. "S'open," he replied. 

A blanket-clad Niall shuffled into the room and flopped onto the bed. "Morning," he said with a yawn. 

Louis looked over at his cocooned friend. "You better have something on under that blanket," he warned him. 

"I'm not Haz," he said with a snort as he squirmed around, trying to make himself comfortable. 

Louis rolled his eyes. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked him, rolling onto his side and propping himself up with his arm. 

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Niall said solemnly. 

Louis frowned. Niall was never this serious. 

"Oh, cuddle party!" Liam exclaimed as he walked into Louis' bedroom and joined the pair.

"Oof! Who invited you, you big oaf," Louis whined as Liam wiggled under the covers between himself and Niall. 

"I was trying to talk to Louis like a grown-up," Niall huffed at Liam. 

"Without your pants on?" Liam teased and reached for the blanket. "Oh…you're wearing boxers," he said as the fabric slipped through his fingers. 

"Disappointed?" Niall asked, reaching to tweak Liam's nipple as his mischievous grin returned. 

"Boys, boys," Louis said, clapping his hands together like a school teacher. "Focus." 

Liam tilted his head to the side, reminding Louis of a dog. "On what?" he asked. 

"The fact that it's 9 am and I should still be asleep," Louis explained. "Out with you both." He made a shooing motion towards the door. 

"Did I not get an invite to the party?" Harry asked, poking his head into the room, his lovely curls framing his face. He even looked like a model when he woke up. Bastard. 

"Three of you now?" Louis said with a groan, both at the unexpected company and Harry’s effortless bedhead. 

"You're always invited, Haz," Liam said and scooted over, nearly knocking Louis off the bed. 

"I'm still stung from not being formally invited so I'm gonna go downstairs," Harry said with a playful huff as he turned on his heel. "Julian and Jamie will be here in an hour," he called over his shoulder. 

"You heard the man," Louis said to Niall and Liam. "I can get practically 45 more minutes of sleep before I have to be presentable." 

He tossed decorative pillow after decorative pillow (how many bloody pillows did someone need?) at the two as they left before going back to staring at the ceiling. 

*** 

After being cooped up in the studio all day Louis needed air…and a cigarette. "Excuse me, fellas…be right back," he said. He pushed on the sliding glass door and took a step outside instantly regretting not slipping on his coat. 

He leaned against the house and took a deep breath. He fumbled for the lighter in his pocket. It was probably counterproductive to smoke when you wanted some air, but he needed something to do with his hands. He wasn't sure how long he was out there but apparently long enough that the group sent out a search party. 

"Lou?" Harry asked, joining him in the garden. "It's freezing out here," he said, comically chattering his teeth as he handed Louis his coat. 

"Ah, thanks," he said as he slid his arms through the sleeves and zipped himself in up to his chin. 

"Not quite California, huh?" Harry said as he took a seat next on the grass next to him, raking his fingers through the blades. 

The last time they had been this close was during the promo for Made in the A.M. Louis could remember the moment like it was yesterday and not years ago. 

_"What are you doing?" Louis groaned as Harry pulled the curtains in their hotel room open._

_"Always so crabby without your beauty sleep…c'mere," he said and held out his arms._

_Louis rolled out of bed and shuffled over to the window. "It's early," he pouted._

_Harry opened up the blanket he had wrapped around his shoulders and pulled Louis close._

_"What am I looking at?" Louis asked, tucking himself in against Harry's side._

_"That's the world out there…and we're about to experience it in a whole new way," Harry said._

Louis nodded his head as he flicked his wrist, dropping some ashes onto the ground. "You can say that again," he agreed. 

"But it's nice…coming home," Harry said, looking over at him with his beautiful (stupid) green eyes. 

"Suppose so," Louis replied, turning away and snubbing the cigarette out with the toe of his trainer. "Anyway, we should get back inside. Sorry to drag you away from the session," he apologized. 

Harry stretched his arms over his head. "I could do with a bit of a break. All of this is overwhelming," he admitted. 

Louis looked over at him curiously. He was about to tilt his head to the side but then he remembered how goofy Liam looked when he did it. "Used to being on your own, are you?" he asked, a little more harshly than intended. 

Harry crinkled up his nose and shook his head. "I didn't mean that," he replied. "Just the deadline and all the restrictions…" 

"Right," Louis echoed. "Dynamics! might as well call themselves Modest! Jr." 

"Mmhmm," Harry said buzzing his lips together. "Anyway…Niall and Liam are all wrapped up in their ballad. Do you want to work together on something?" he asked. "We can stay out here." 

Harry had a number one album…Louis was lucky he had sold enough to break even. "Erm, maybe we should just stick with the group," Louis said, quickly getting up to his feet. 

Harry looked up at him with those doe eyes. "Lou, I know we've been apart, but…" he started to say. 

"Too cold out here…let's get back inside," Louis said cutting him off as he opened the door and slid back into the studio without another word. 

**Mid-February 2021**

"It just doesn't…sound quite right," Tom Matthews, an executive at Syco, said, drumming his fingers on the dining room table. 

Tom was in his mid-50s with graying hair and a graying beard…both which were in desperate need of a trim. Louis was fairly certain Tom couldn’t hear the music over the noise his bright Hawaiian shirt was making so he didn’t value his opinion much. 

Liam leaned forward in his seat. "What about it do you think needs to be changed?" he pressed. 

Tom paused before speaking…as if they boys were hanging on his every word…like he was some kind of messiah. "The fans are going to want a throwback to your earlier music," he replied. 

Harry shook his head. "The fans have grown up…they've evolved…" he tried to explain, but was cut off mid-sentence. 

Tom snapped his fingers. "Do you go to a Madonna concert to hear her new stuff? No. You want to hear Like a Virgin," he said. 

"I don't think you're giving our fans enough credit," Louis protested, his blood pressure rising with each word that left Tom’s lips. "Besides we asked to release a Greatest Hits album and you lot said no," he reminded him. 

"Boys, I know what sells…you have to trust me on this. I want to hear a full rough cut in a week," Tom said, ignoring Louis' comment as he stood up. His departure effectively ended the meeting. 

"A week?" Liam exclaimed, his voice practically squeaking, as the front door slammed shut. 

"Unbelievable!" Niall groaned, leaning forward and putting his face in his hands. 

Harry raked his fingers through his hair. "I don't agree with him, but I can't say I'm surprised. We were able to grow so much on Made in the A.M. and then on our own and now we're back at square one," he said with a sigh. 

"That's one opinion…he's not going to make or break the album," Jamie said, trying to stay positive. "Let's get back to it, fellas." 

Liam went into the sound booth to record after they got downstairs. Niall was sprawled out on the couch, leaving no room for anyone to join him, his fingers flying across his phone screen. 

Louis decided to spread out on the floor, settling on his stomach with his black notebook open in front of him. Harry gracefully lowered himself down next to him. "Can I show you something?" he asked. 

Louis turned his head to look up at him. "Erm, sure," he said. "Give it here," he added, holding out his hand. 

Harry produced a napkin scrawled with lyrics on it from his pocket. He handed it over to Louis. "This is just something I can't get out of my head…" he explained. 

Louis studied the words on the paper product and began to tap his palm on the floor as he mouthed along. "Nice…this is good," he said to him. 

"Can you do that beat again?" Harry asked, his eyes lighting up. 

Louis resumed tapping on the floor as Harry hummed along. He grabbed his pen and wrote a new verse on the napkin under Harry's scrawl. "Try that," Louis suggested. 

Very softly Harry began singing and Louis joined in after a moment. 

"I like it," Harry said, his dimpled smile stretched across his face. 

"We're pretty talented," Louis agreed with a chuckle. 

"Niall, put your phone down and get in here!" Liam exclaimed, jumping up and down and waving his hand in front of his friend. He kind of looked like a parking lot attendant. 

"Jesus! Chill, Payno," Niall said as he tucked his phone into his pocket and joined Liam in the booth. 

"I didn't realize Niall was such an avid texter," Harry whispered in Louis' ear. 

Louis shivered a little bit as his breath tickled his skin. He swallowed and rolled his shoulders to put some space between them. "It only seems like it because you never answer your own texts," he replied. 

He frowned. "That's not true…" Harry insisted. 

"In the past five years, I can count on one hand the number of texts I've gotten from you," Louis replied, holding up his hand and waving hello to indicate the number. 

Harry worried his bottom lip between his teeth. "I didn't think…" he trailed off. 

"Hmm?" Louis asked as he lowered his hand. 

"I didn't think you'd want to hear from me," Harry finished his thought as he released his lip. 

Louis bit the inside of his cheek. "Maybe not at first, but…every once in a while would have been okay," he replied. 

"I'll…keep that in mind," Harry replied as he looked back down at the napkin. 

*** 

It wasn’t as if Louis withered up and died without Harry, but he definitely threw himself headfirst into anything that was a distraction. Parties…check. Alcohol…check. Getting in a bit of trouble…check. Once that got boring he decided to focus on his music. He tried working with a few different writers for a fresh perspective, but he found himself calling up Julian and Jamie. Being with them…it was almost like old times. 

But one new guy did make the cut. His name was Caleb Winters. Caleb was talented as hell. He had a way of shaping all the thoughts in Louis' head and turning them into something beautiful. He was funny and easy to talk to. Louis hadn't laughed so hard in a long time. It was nice…not to mention it was easy to get lost in his sweeping blonde hair and big blue eyes. 

Louis found himself wanting to be around Caleb as much as possible…he found himself thinking about what it would be like to kiss him. He had been the other half of Harry and Louis for the past five years…it was time to test the waters on his own. 

His relationship with Caleb wasn’t picture perfect. As much as Louis wanted to give himself completely to him he had lost so many pieces of himself he doubted he could ever be whole again. There would always be parts he kept locked away. 

*** 

"You've got to be kidding me…" Louis said from behind a dressing screen. "I'm not being photographed looking like this!" 

Today the boys were taking a break from writing and doing a photo shoot for People magazine. Louis could sincerely say this was not something he missed doing (how the fuck do you smize anyway?). The wardrobe choices for today were less than stellar. 

"Now you've got to show us, Tommo!" Liam exclaimed with a way too much glee in his voice. 

"It can't be any worse than what we're wearing," Niall added with a huff. 

"It's purple. It has gemstones on it…it's worse," Louis insisted as he emerged to join the others. 

There they stood in the same ensemble except Liam was in red, Harry in blue, and Niall in green. It was as if someone had gotten stoned, taken a bedazzler, and shown no mercy. 

"We're a fucking rainbow!" Louis exclaimed, tossing his hands in the air. "I thought no one was supposed to know I was gay." 

Niall couldn't hide his laughter any longer. "Oh, wow…this is really bad," he said. 

"Come on, lads…the sooner we get this over with the sooner we can change," Liam said in a Daddy Direction tone Louis hadn't heard in years. 

"Is David here?" Louis asked, his eyes scanning the space for any signs of the leech. 

Harry shook his head no. "He's running late," he replied. 

"Then no one can tell us we have to wear this," Louis reasoned. "Well, no sane person anyway." After their meeting with Tom the other day he was even less enthused to stick to the status quo. 

"They'll just make us do it again if we don't do it the way they want," Liam protested. 

"Oh, man up, will you, Payno! As long as the final product looks good it'll be fine. They won't want to put out more money…and besides, we're on such a tight deadline there won't be time anyway," Louis said. "And finally…fuck those guys." 

"I'm in," Niall said with a grin, walking back towards the clothing racks as he peeled away the green abomination covering his upper half. 

In record time the boys picked out clothes that they'd actually be caught dead in. Thankfully David didn't show up until halfway through the shoot. 

"What the hell??" he exclaimed, his eyes nearly bugling out of their sockets like a cartoon character. "Those were not the preapproved outfits." 

His reaction alone was almost worth it, but Louis couldn’t help but quip, "Funny thing, David…those clothes were so hideous they broke the camera. We had no choice but to change." The other boys stifled laughs. 

David huffed as he looked at his Apple watch. "There's not enough time to fix it now…just…keep going," he said, as if his blessing meant anything. "And next time stick to the plan," he added before walking out of the space. 

"Or what?" Harry asked with a roll of his eyes once he was out of earshot. 

"Or he'll make you wear that shirt in public," Louis teased. 

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno…I quite liked the shirt," he replied. 

"You would," Louis said with an exasperated huff. 

Harry flashed him a grin and Louis found himself smiling back. 

_***_

_"Yes!" Louis said, pumping his fist in the air. "That was fucking awesome!"_

_"You nailed it," Caleb agreed, holding up his hand for a fist bump._

_Louis swatted his fist away and pulled the other man into a hug._

_Caleb laughed as he fell into the embrace. "We should celebrate," he suggested after they broke apart._

_After months of blood, sweat, and tears Louis' first song had been recorded. He was so proud he could burst._

_Louis was a little bummed the hug hadn’t lasted long. "Drinks are definitely in order," he agreed. "As long you're buying," he teased._

_"I think that can be arranged," Caleb said with a smirk. "Or we could just hang out at my place…"_

_For the past month Louis had been trying to work up the courage to ask Caleb out alone and here the opportunity had just fallen in his lap._

_"Perfect…just text me your address," Louis said as casually as possible._

_Two seconds later his phone pinged. "See you," Caleb said, with a little wave as he walked out of the studio._

_Louis quickly ducked into the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face and fussed a bit with his hair. He felt a nervous flutter in his stomach._

_He programmed Caleb's address into his nav app and drove over to his place. Caleb buzzed him in and he made his way upstairs._

_"Find the place okay?" Caleb greeted him, two beers in hand._

_"What did we do before phones?" he joked as he stepped in over the threshold. Christ, had he really just said that?_

_"Let me give you the grand tour," Caleb said as he handed him a bottle. He held his arm out Vanna White style. "Kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom."_

_"Charming," Louis replied, taking a sip of his beer._

_"We can hang out in here," Caleb said and nodded at the couch._

_"Perfect," Louis said, following Caleb into the living room._

_"So how does it feel to have your first song in the can?" Caleb asked him._

_"It's pretty wild," Louis said to him as he settled against the cushions. "Honestly after the boys and I went our separate ways I wasn't sure if I'd ever be in the studio again."_

_"I'm glad you decided to go for it," Caleb said with a smile._

_Louis looked down at his lap. "Thanks, that means a lot to me," he said, almost shyly. "I've been afraid to stand on my own," he admitted._

_"The world needs your voice," Caleb replied, resting his hand on top of Louis’._

_Louis smiled softly, lifting his gaze. "I couldn't have done it without you and the other guys," he said sincerely._

_"Here's to many more smash hits together," Caleb said and raised his beer._

_"Cheers," Louis said, lifting his bottle, the glass clinking against Caleb’s._

_The two chatted easily about the industry and their favorite bands. The conversation then turned to their favorite types of other things: foods, movies…guys._

_"I had a long-term thing that ended right before the hiatus," Louis admitted as he opened his second beer._

_"What about now? Are you seeing anyone?" Caleb asked him, shifting closer just a touch._

_"When would I have time for that?" he asked, very aware of Caleb next to him._

_"What about kissing? Do you have time for that?" Caleb asked, his palm tenderly cupping Louis’ cheek._

_Their lips touched lightly at first…and then again…and again._

_Yep, Louis definitely had time for kissing._

*** 

Louis and Harry had been working together for nearly a month now and sometimes it seemed like they had never been apart. That easy familiarity with knowing someone as well as they knew each other wasn’t something that disappeared because you broke up. There was too much history. 

"Remind me again how this is helping…" Louis said as he parked himself on a wooden bench near the water, rubbing hands together for warmth. 

"I told you to bring gloves," Harry scolded him. "And we're clearing our minds," he explained as he settled next to him. 

The pair was in the midst of writing the rest of the napkin song and had hit a roadblock. Despite it being bloody February in London Harry assured Louis a trip to the park would reinvigorate them…or something like that…Louis hadn't been quite awake when Harry came bounding into his room that morning. 

"Unless we're writing about water fowl…I'm not sold on your idea yet," Louis said as a momma duck waddled along the edge of the pond followed by her obedient ducklings. He had to admit they were pretty cute. 

"Duck, duck…hmm," Harry mused, tilting his head from side to side and tapping his palm on his thigh. 

"I think you should do some duck dance moves on stage. You'll be a big hit," Louis snorted. 

"Are you looking forward to it?" Harry asked him. 

"What? Your duck dance?" Louis asked in confusion. 

Harry laughed and attempted (failed) pulling a duck face. "No, going back on the road together," he clarified. 

"Oh, I suppose…" Louis replied slowly. "When I first heard about the reunion I wasn't exactly thrilled, but now that I'm here…" 

"Might as well make the best of it," Harry agreed, pulling out his notebook. 

"That sounds terrible. Let me try again," Louis said with a sigh. "I am glad to be back with you fellas, but…I wish we could do it on our terms," he explained. 

Harry set his pen down. "I feel like it might be more than that," he said gently. 

"What?" Louis asked him, immediately feeling himself building up an internal wall. 

"You don't seem like yourself…" Harry started to say. 

"I'm fine," Louis insisted. Harry knew him too well and this conversation could get very deep…very fast…and that’s the last thing he wanted. 

"Alright," Harry said with a sigh. "I need a distraction. Oh! I have bread in my pocket and those ducks look hungry," he said with a grin. 

Louis blinked a few times before replying, "You have bread in your pocket?" 

Harry triumphantly produced a slice of leftover toast from his coat. "Once a baker, always a baker!" he said with a grin. 

**Beginning of March 2021**

It was crunch time. Syco wanted the album on March 15. Their lord and savior (insert eye roll here) Tom had come back and given approval to several tracks, but the boys still needed to fill in the rest. Julian kept insisting the boys should do what they wanted. Tom did not have the final say. 

And because they had all the time in the world…Dynamics! set up an interview with BBC Radio 1. 

"Who are you texting?" Louis demand with a yawn. They were waiting in the Breakfast's Show green room. 

Niall raised an eyebrow but didn’t take his eyes off his phone screen. "Pardon?" he asked. 

"It's practically the middle of the night here," Louis huffed. "Who are you texting?" he asked petulantly. 

"Tommo, it's 7 am," Liam pointed out. 

"I said practically!" Louis huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"It's not practically the middle of the night everywhere," Niall responded, finally looking up. 

Louis jumped on this tidbit. "So your mystery texter isn't in the UK?" he asked. 

"Quit your gossiping and prepare for the interview," Niall encouraged him. 

"Niall, if you just stopped acting so dodgy I wouldn't have to gossip," Louis explained. 

"Here, leave Nialler alone and drink this," Harry said, rejoining the group and handing him a cup of tea. 

"You're lucky I need this," Louis warned Niall as he took a sip from the cup. 

Nick Grimshaw's producer stuck her head into the room. "We're all ready for you, boys," she said and gestured for them to come into the studio. 

While the commercial break played the boys exchanged hugs and hellos with Nick before settling down. 

Louis slipped his headphones on and looked around. The last time they had been in here was a Live Lounge performance. It felt like another lifetime. 

"Welcome back. It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for," Nick said into the microphone. "Today in the studio we have none other the fearsome foursome One Direction. Hello, boys…good to see you." 

"Good to be seen," Liam said with a chuckle. The rest of them echoed hellos. 

Nick did a quick go around catching up on what each of the boys had been up to for the past five years before diving in, "Now, come on…you brought me something new to listen to, didn't you?" 

"Nick, as much as we love you, mate, the new stuff is top secret," Niall replied with a laugh. 

"Can I get a little hint then? The end of April is aaaaaaages away," Nick pouted. 

"Alright, since we don't want you to cry," Louis piped up. "The sound is eclectic. We've all grown over the break and had different experiences. This is a compilation of all that." 

"Compilation…I believe our Louis has gone and become a proper grown up with a Word A Day calendar and all," Nick teased. 

"I can't believe I forgot how funny you are, Nick," Louis teased back. 

"Are you doing all your own writing?" Nick asked the group. 

"We have some collaborators, but yes…we've written on every track," Harry explained. "There are a few songs we all have a hand in, but usually we work in smaller groups. Louis and I are in the midst of working on something right now." 

"Yes, the dynamic duo back together," Nick said clapping his hands together. "Fellas, it's been lovely to see you and I'm looking forward to that new single…you must promise me I get to play it first." 

After a chorus of reassurances that Nick could premiere the song the boys headed back to the house. 

No sooner did they settle in the car a call from David came through. 

"Harry, what were you thinking?" his voice came booming through the speaker. 

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, clearly taken aback. 

"Louis and I are in the midst of writing together!" David exclaimed, mimicking Harry’s slow drawl. 

Harry furrowed his brow. "Uh huh…" he replied. 

"Do you have any idea how much attention that comment got?" David asked. Louis could just picture his face turning as red as a tomato. 

"Well, I mean…he and I are working on a song together," Harry explained. 

"I'm getting another call. We'll finish this conversation later," David said before the line went dead. 

"He seemed cheery," Harry said as he tossed his phone aside. 

"It's 2021…time to move on…" Liam scoffed. 

"My tombstone is going to read 'one half of Larry Stylinson'," Louis said with a snort. 

"Just make sure it's not next to mine," Harry huffed. 

_***_

_"I don't think I could ever get used to that," Caleb said as Louis sat down at the table._

_"Hmm?" Louis asked him, picking up his menu._

_"All that," Caleb said, nodding his head towards the window. Outside the restaurant, a paparazzi was hanging out with his camera at the ready._

_"Oh," Louis said. "I mostly just try to ignore it. Just make sure we leave separately," he added as he looked at his choices._

_"Why?" Caleb asked him._

_"The last thing I need right now is media speculation that we're dating," Louis explained._

_"But we are dating," Caleb reminded him._

_"I know that," Louis replied, looking up. "But you know how things are. The label doesn't want me breaking the hearts of girls across the country by being myself. Less girls mean less money," he said._

_"How archaic," Caleb replied with a shake of his head._

*** 

"Alright, so we can all admit Niall is acting a bit odd, yeah?" Louis said as he hopped up onto the counter (he had gotten over the not wanting to ruin the granite thing). 

He, Liam, and Harry were in the kitchen debating where to order takeaway from that night. Niall was, once again, in his room. 

"How can you tell?" Harry snickered. 

"H, that was a terrible joke," Louis tsked, swinging his legs back and forth against the cabinets below. 

"He does hang out in his room a lot…and he's always on his phone," Liam agreed, idly scrolling through restaurant choices on his phone. 

"So what are we thinking…aliens, he owes someone money…" Louis ticked off. 

"Maybe he's producing a true crime podcast," Harry suggested, leaning over to see Liam’s screen. 

"H!" Louis laughed. 

"What? Everyone else is these days," Harry said with a shrug. 

Liam looked up. "D'ya think he's seeing someone?" he asked. 

"That's my gut instinct, but why wouldn't he tell us?" Louis asked. 

"Erm…because he knows you guys would just give him endless shit about it," Harry pointed out. 

"We're bothering him now and he's not even told us what's going on…so could admitting the truth be any worse?" Louis replied, a smirk on his lips. 

Harry sighed. "Can we get Thai?" he asked. "I’m hungry." 

*** 

"No, no, no!" Louis exclaimed, waving his notebook in the air. "That's horrible!" 

Harry frowned at his theatrics. "It's not horrible. It's just…" he trailed off. 

"Horrible," Louis repeated, lowering his notebook and scratching out the last line of the verse with venom in his stroke. 

"Maybe if you just sing it again?" Harry suggested timidly. 

Louis shoved the notebook in Harry’s face, a hole worn in the page from how hard the pen had connected with the paper. "Nope, gone forever. Can't be repeated now," he said. 

"It wasn't horrible," Harry mumbled as pushed the notebook aside. He sat back on the couch and closed his eyes. 

Louis shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What was your writing process like?" he asked him after a beat of silence. 

Harry cracked one eye open. "For my album?" he asked, squinting at him. 

"Mmhmm," Louis confirmed. 

"I went away…kind of like we're doing now," Harry explained to him. "And I just…let go. I wrote about anything and everything that came into my mind. I didn't worry about how it might sound…I just did it." 

"Total freedom," Louis said with a nod. "Well, it all worked out. The album was amazing," he added, turning to look at him. 

"Thanks," Harry replied with a smile. "Yours was too," he added. 

"You don't have to say that," Louis said, instantly turning his gaze back to his notebook. 

"I'm being honest," Harry insisted, resting his hand on his knee and squeezing. "The lyrics were incredible." 

Louis shifted under his touch and worried the cuff on his sleeve. "I had help," he said. 

"Sure, we all have help, but those words…I know you…that was you," Harry said softly. "I don't want you to sell yourself short." 

"It doesn't matter what I think," Louis said, shaking his head. "The public spoke…" 

"So what’s been what’s on your mind…" he said. "I should have realized." Harry's face suddenly filled Louis' field of vision. He tried to turn away, but Harry pressed his palm against his cheek and turned his face so they were looking at each other. "What you think matters the most," he said. 

"But…" Louis began to protest. 

"At the end of the day it's you that has to be proud of you," Harry explained to him. "Did you feel fulfilled…did you feel happy…" 

Louis swallowed, casting his chin downward, but Harry was right there to pick him back up. He nodded yes. 

"Then you are a success," Harry concluded. 

_***_

_"I thought you were coming over," Caleb said after Louis picked up the phone._

_He glanced at the clock. "Oh, shit…I didn't realize what time it was," he said, lowering the volume on the tv._

_"It's alright," Caleb replied. "We can just order a pizza and hang out here instead."_

_Louis made a bit of a face. He was very comfortable on his couch. He had on his coziest sweats and was tucked in under a fuzzy blanket. "Will you take a raincheck?" he asked him._

_"A raincheck? Louis, I haven't seen you all week," Caleb replied with a sigh._

_"That's not true," Louis said…hmm when was the last time he had seen him?_

_"I can come over there," Caleb suggested._

_Louis began flipping through the tv channels. "The place is a mess…we'll do something tomorrow," he replied._

_There was a long pause before Caleb finally said, "Fine…"_

_The call ended and Louis turned the volume back up._

*** 

**Mid-March 2021**

Louis, Harry, Liam, and Niall (along with Julian and Jamie) were sitting in a conference room at Syco Headquarters. By the skin of their teeth, they had delivered the rough cut of the album by the promised due date. 

Their lord and savior Tom, as well as other executives from Syco, and a few random folks from Dynamics! were gathered around a table as their new music pumped through the speakers. 

Despite not being able to complete the song he and Harry had been working on together Louis was very proud of the rest of the album. 

"I'll give you my notes later," Eric Andrews, President of Syco’s pop division, said. "But I love it." 

It took all of Louis' strength not to stick out his tongue at Tom and say, "Suck it." 

"Most of it…" Eric said, qualifying his previous statement. "I'd like to hear something with a throwback feel…so please keep writing." 

Louis groaned inwardly. Not this again. Then Daddy Direction spoke up… 

"When do you want the final album tracks by?" Liam asked. 

The boys had submitted more songs than necessary so the tracks would have to be whittled down and apparently some new ones needed to be created. 

"Let's say…a week from today," Eric replied. 

The boys nodded and as just as they were standing up to leave Lauren Murphy, a PR rep at Dynamics!, spoke up, "There's just one more thing we need to go over boys." 

Louis audibly groaned this time as he sat back down. He had been looking forward to taking a nap. 

"As you know…image is going to be critical from now until the album release and beyond. Since you've mostly been in the house this really hasn't been an issue. But going forward I need you all on your best behavior," she said, like a teacher speaking to a group of rowdy schoolboys. Well… 

David eagerly nodded his head. It was clear to Louis he was very proud that he got to speak up at this meeting. "We can't afford for any of you to make sloppy mistakes," he explained. "We have a list of set appearances for promo…and a list of photo opportunities, as well." 

Pieces of paper with the boys' itinerary were passed out. Louis scanned the page. It was the usual suspects: Alan Carr, Graham Norton, Good Morning America, James Corden. It was the list of photo opportunities that was annoying. 

"You're going to tip off photographers that we'll be at these restaurants and clubs?" he asked. 

"Correct…like I said your image is very important right now so we need you to be seen in all the right places," Lauren said primly. 

"Who are these people?" Niall asked, pointing to various names listed next to some of the venues. 

"Those are the names of certain notable people we'd like you spotted with," David slowly explained, as if they were toddlers. 

Louis rubbed his face with his palm. "We have to stunt with these people?" he said. 

"Stunting is an old-fashioned term," Lauren replied. "We call it making connections. Kind of like Niall and Shawn Mendes have been doing."

The comment seemed to light a fire in Niall. "Shawn's my friend," he said quickly. "There's nothing fake about our relationship." 

Lauren waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever the case…you're required to be at these places with these people. End of story." 

*** 

The ride back to the house was on the quiet side. Everyone was stewing about the meeting. 

Niall was the first to speak up, "Using Shawn…that's ridiculous!" 

"It's alright, Niall…we know you aren't," Liam assured him, patting his arm. 

"The whole bloody thing is frankly ridiculous," Louis spat. "It feels like we never left Modest! And Syco is up to their same tricks." 

"At least they liked the most of the music. Jamie was right…Tom didn't have the last say," Harry said, trying to put a positive spin on the events. 

"You should be the most upset out of everyone!" Louis insisted indignantly. "You have to be seen with like four different girls." 

"After all the work you've done with your clothing line and asking people to be more open-minded you're right back where you were…heartthrob lothario," Niall said with a shake of his head. 

"Are any of you actually surprised? Time has passed, sure…but nothing has actually changed," Harry said with a snort. 

"What’s surprising is that you're just taking this," Louis said to him. "After this, we owe Syco nothing…why not give them a big fuck you as a send-off?" 

"And how do you propose we do that?" Harry asked.

Louis looked over at his friends. "Just give me some time…I'll figure it out," he replied. 

*** 

The boys submitted their final track list a week later. A huge weight was lifted from the house once that was done. 

One weight was still present, though…the weight on Louis' chest. The more time he spent with Harry the more feelings were stirred up inside of him. Instead of talking to Harry like an actual adult he bottled up his emotions. 

"Earth to Louis…come in, Major Tom," Harry said, waving his fingers in front of his nose. 

Louis’ eyes crossed as he focused on Harry’s hand. "Huh?" he asked. "I can't hear you." 

The boys were having a celebratory pub night and the noise inside the bar was impeding any attempts at conversation, which didn't really matter since everyone was a little tipsy so nothing important was being said. 

Harry leaned in closer to Louis. "I asked if you needed a refill," he repeated. 

Louis looked down at his empty glass. "I think I'm good," he said. The last thing he needed to do was get all sloppy around Harry and say something embarrassing like your cheeks smell like chips and I want to take a bite. 

"Lads! Where's Niall?" Liam shouted as he sat down on the stool next to Louis. 

"Did you check the bar?" Louis asked. "Liam?" he asked when he didn't get a response. He turned his head and saw Liam face down on the table asleep. 

Okay, maybe some people were MORE than tipsy. 

"We're not as young as we used to be, are we?" Harry said with a chuckle, ruffling Liam’s hair lightly. 

Niall frowned as he approached the table. "Am I drunk or is Liam dead?" he asked. 

Louis shook his head. "I think it's time to head home, lads," he said. 

*** 

"How are we going to get Liam inside?" Harry asked as they pulled up to the house. Security had helped sneak him out the back of the pub and into their waiting car. 

"Carefully?" Niall suggested as he unbuckled his seatbelt. 

"Come on, fellas…let’s make a plan," Louis said, clapping his hands together. "Harry, you take one side…Niall, you the other…I’ll take lead." It was an arduous process but successful in the end. 

"You’re so cute," Liam slurred, pinching Louis on the cheek as they slowly made their way up the front steps. 

"Not as cute as you, darling," Louis replied as he fumbled for his keys. 

"I love you guys so much," Liam said, leaning heavily against Harry. 

"We love you too, mate," Harry said as he and Niall heaved Liam inside the house. 

After they managed to get Liam in bed and assured him they loved him to the moon and back too Niall retired to his room. 

Harry and Louis were left alone in the hallway. "Are you sleepy?" Harry asked him. 

"Not terribly," Louis said in reply. 

"Want to work a little?" Harry asked, nodding towards the basement. 

"Why? We're done with working…the album is basically finished," he pointed out. 

"But we never finished our song," Harry said with a pout. 

Louis chuckled and pinched his cheek. "Oh, how can I say no to that face?" he said. 

***

"What time is it?" Harry asked as he got up to his feet, raising his arms above his head, causing his black t-shirt to ride up just a touch. 

Louis had no choice but to admire the bare strip of skin. He was a living breathing human after all. "Erm…around 4," he said after consulting his phone. 

"Wow," Harry replied as he leaned forward, rounding out his back. 

"Are you doing yoga or something?" Louis asked curiously. 

Harry snorted. "No, I'm just trying to regain some feeling in my limbs. I didn't realize we had been working for so long," he explained. 

"Until you couldn't feel your leg," Louis clarified and tapped him on the bum. 

"Sing it back for me again," Harry said, ignoring both Louis' comment and touch. 

"You're so bossy," he tsked. He sang the last verse they had just written as Harry continued to contort his body into unimaginable positions. 

"Stop!" Harry exclaimed very loudly…considering the hour. 

"What?" Louis asked, nearly jumping out of his skin. 

"We've done it…that’s it," Harry said, smiling so wide the dimples in his cheeks popped. 

"Good! Then we can go to bed," Louis said, tossing his notebook aside. 

"What? No…we need to record it straight away," Harry insisted, retrieving the book from the floor. 

He looked at him. "H, it's 4 o'clock…in the morning," Louis said very slowly. 

"There's no time like the present," Harry said, holding out his hand so he could pull Louis up. 

"How fucking zen of you. The other boys aren't awake…Julian's not here," Louis pointed out. 

"Just you and me…come on…it'll just be so the others can hear it properly," he insisted. 

Louis gave up his hand. "Fine, but after this, I'm going to bed…and I'm having a lie in…don't even think about stopping me," he warned him. 

Harry rolled his eyes and dragged him into the sound booth once he was on his feet. He turned the light on and handed Louis a pair of headphones. "Start on my count, okay?" he instructed him. 

Louis saluted him as he slipped the headphones over his ears. He bounced from foot to foot. Harry began recording and ran back into the booth. 

"One, two, three…" Harry ticked off and nodded. 

Louis closed his eyes and started to sing their words. He felt as if he was being lifted out of his body and watching the two of them from above. The lyrics were perfect. Harry's voice was perfect. The whole moment was perfect. 

After they finished Louis opened his eyes and took a breath. As he turned to Harry he found himself suddenly pressed against him, wrapped up in his warm embrace. 

Their body types couldn't have been more opposite…tall and lanky versus small and compact…it always amazed Louis how well they fit together. Louis lifted his hand and gently stroked Harry's cheek with his fingertips. Harry's eyes fluttered open as he softly nuzzled against Louis' palm. He leaned in closer and bumped their noses together. Louis' heart was beating so hard he was afraid it was going to burst out of his chest. 

Ever so lightly he felt Harry's lips brush against his and without hesitation Louis' parted his own lips, deepening the kiss. He lost all sense of time as their lips touched, their tongues tangled, and their hands gently explored each others' sides over their clothes. 

The stairwell light flickered on. "Who’s down there?" Liam mumbled. 

Harry and Louis jumped apart. "Shit," Louis swore, stumbling out into the studio. There was no way Liam could not notice (drunk or not) they had been making out. It was written all over their faces. 

"Just finishing up!" Harry called out, breathlessly, scurrying across the studio and killing the light Liam had just turned on. 

"I came down to get some water and I saw the light on. That must be some song," Liam said. 

"Something like that," Louis replied, swallowing hard. 

"Night then…well, morning? I dunno," Liam said. The two held their breath as they heard him make his way back upstairs. 

"That was…" Louis started. 

"We…" Harry said at the same time. 

They both let out an awkward laugh. "Go ahead…" Louis encouraged him. 

Harry swallowed. "We shouldn't have done that. Erm, just caught up in the moment, right?" he said. 

"Right, right…just…it's fine. Let's not make it weird," Louis said quickly, still not quite able to catch his breath. 

"Definitely," Harry agreed with a nod. 

Yeah, it was going to be weird. 

_***_

_"Who are you texting?" Louis asked, rolling over so he could snuggle up against his bare chest._

_Caleb slipped his arm around his middle and pulled him closer. "My brother, Rick, is having a little get together tonight," he explained._

_"Tell Rick it's too early for texting," Louis said, nuzzling his nose against his neck. "And that you have more important things to do tonight." He pressed his lips against his jaw._

_Caleb chuckled softly. "We can cut out early," he said. He dropped the phone onto the nightstand and rolled over on top of him._

_Louis rested his hands on his hips. "We?" he asked._

_"Yeah, we'll just hang around long enough to have a beer and say hi," Caleb explained. He dipped his head down and pressed his lips to Louis’ chest._

_"I don't want to go," Louis replied._

_Caleb's head popped up so they were looking at each other now. "What?" he asked._

_"That's not what I meant…" Louis said, trying to backtrack. "It'll just look weird if we show up together at some random house."_

_Caleb rolled off of him and back onto the mattress. "Management won't let you go…or you don't want to go?" he asked._

_Truthfully, Louis didn't want to get too close. He wanted to keep things casual. And casual couples didn't meet the other's family._

_"That's what I thought," Caleb said when Louis didn't reply._

***

**End of April 2021**

The album was a day away from being released and so far the reviews were positive. The boys were in heavy promo mode racing across New York City for radio interviews, talk shows, small concerts. It was go go go. Louis felt like he barely had time to breath. 

It was like he had stepped back in time. There was no way any of them could set foot outside the hotel as fans were lined up along the street hoping for just a glimpse of the boys. It was unbelievable. 

"Do you want to hang out for a while?" Harry asked Louis after they had gotten back from dinner. 

"Yeah, sure," Louis agreed. "Erm, where's everyone else?" he asked. 

"Liam's out with a 'connection'," Harry said, making air quotes with his fingers. "And Niall is meeting up with Shawn," he explained. 

Louis was about to come up with an excuse now that he knew it was only going to be the two of them, but Harry had already punched his keycard in the lock and headed into his room. 

Though they had both agreed not to make things weird…things were definitely different. Well, Louis felt like they were anyway. Harry was his usual friendly self, but Louis was always second guessing him…was he just being nice? Was he flirting? What did it mean when Harry complimented his hair? 

"Hey, your room is bigger than mine," Louis said with a pout as he walked inside behind Harry. 

"Probably because I'm the heartthrob," Harry replied, puffing out his chest as he kicked off his shoes. 

"If only I had been taller…and better looking," Louis sighed as he did the same. 

"You're a very handsome fella," Harry insisted with a grin. 

"If only your opinion meant something," Louis said with another sigh, but was secretly smiling. 

"Ha, ha," Harry said as he settled onto the couch. 

Louis sat down in an armchair, tucking his legs under him. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling. "Jeehz…Dynamics! didn't waste any time. There's already a ton of pics of Shawn and Niall and Liam and umm…what was that girl's name again?" he asked, looking at Harry. 

"Heather? Leather? Pleather?" Harry asked with a yawn. 

"Hmm…I believe Pleather was the girl you had the 'spontaneous' picnic with a few weeks ago," Louis reminded him. 

"Oh, yeah…she did have a strange smell," Harry replied. "Let's watch a movie." He grabbed the remote and booted up Netflix. 

Louis looked down at his phone when it pinged. He raised an eyebrow when he read the message. "H, did you submit the napkin song?" he asked, his tone laced with confusion. 

"Uh huh…" Harry confirmed as he scrolled through the menus on Netflix. 

"Someone from Syco just texted to tell me that it doesn't quite fit the mold. Actually, they said the song was completely inappropriate for us," Louis replied with a frown. "How could you have submitted it? We finished it after the final track list was settled." 

He turned to look at him and smiled. "Eric said to submit anything and everything so I did. And what do those idiots know about music anyway," Harry said. "It’s a shame no one else will ever hear it, though."

"Right. A shame," Louis echoed softly. 

_***_

_Caleb turned on his mic. "Why don't we take five?" he suggested._

_Louis gave him a thumbs up and slipped his headphones off before exiting the booth._

_"What did you think?" Louis asked. This was the first time Caleb had heard Miss You._

_"You sounded good," he replied nonchalantly._

_"I meant the lyrics…you hadn't heard this one yet," Louis said, taking a seat in Caleb's lap and slipping his arms around his neck._

_"Fine," Caleb said as he busied himself, refusing to look up at Louis._

_"Fine? That brilliant mind of yours can only come up with the word fine?" Louis teased, kissing his temple._

_Caleb raked his fingers through his hair. "It sounds like a pretty personal song," he said._

_"Okay…" Louis replied._

_"And it feels like no matter what I'm always going to be second best," Caleb said._

**May 2021**

Now that the album had been released to the masses (and doing well!) it was time to get down to work for the tour. In less than three weeks they'd be hitting the stage. 

"I hate how limber you are," Louis said to Harry as he stretched. 

"I like your hoodie," Harry replied with a smile. 

Louis raised an eyebrow. "That's your comeback?" he scoffed. 

"I was always told if I don't have anything nice to say not to say anything," Harry recited. 

"Boys…get up on the stage…get a feel for the space," their tour director called out. 

Louis shook his head and climbed up onto the smaller b stage. "I am not used to this," he mumbled. The tour for his album had consisted of smaller clubs and theaters and possibly a barn...he still wasn’t sure. 

"Me either," Niall said as he ran from one end of the stage to the other. 

Harry climbed up to join them with Liam not far behind. "This is mad," Liam said with a smile. 

"Selfie, selfie!" Niall called out, waving his phone as he reached the boys again. 

The boys squeezed in for a picture, all grins. Niall posted it on Instagram with the caption _Brothers._

*** 

Rehearsals were going well, but Louis was in a lousy mood. Tonight he and Harry were supposed to go on a 'double date' with Camila Cabello (if she wasn’t famous by now she was never going to be) and Sabrina Carpenter (who he was fairly certain was younger than Lottie, but she was blonde, popular, and played guitar). The date was to combat the new crop of Larry rumors that had popped up since the album had been released…though Louis had a feeling this would only add fuel to fire. Then again that’s probably what Dynamics! wanted.

"Penny for your thoughts," Harry said kindly as they settled in at their table. 

"We could be watching Stranger Things right now," Louis pointed out. The two had been binge-watching the series over the past week. "I still don't understand how you've never seen it before," he added. 

"There are other things to do besides watch telly," Harry said. 

Louis gave him a dumbfounded look. "Like what?" he asked. 

"Louis?" a familiar voice asked. 

He turned around and found himself face to face with someone he hadn’t seen in a long time. "Caleb?" he said in confusion. 

"I thought that was you," Caleb said. "How are you?" he asked, leaning in to give him a hug. 

Louis was half sitting, half standing in his seat as he awkwardly returned the embrace. "What are you doing here?" he asked. 

"I'm meeting someone for dinner," Caleb explained as they broke apart. "You look great."

Harry cleared his throat and the two turned to look at him. "I'm Harry," he introduced himself with a small wave. 

"Oh, dear…where are my manners?" Louis said. "Caleb, this is Harry…Harry, this is Caleb Winters…he wrote on the album with me." 

"And then some," Caleb said with a chuckle. He offered his hand and Harry shook it. "Ah, the famous Harry Styles. Nice to meet you." 

"Caleb! Over here!" his dinner date called out from across the room. 

"That's my cue. Nice to see you, Louis," Caleb said before heading over to the other side of the restaurant. 

"And then some?" Harry asked as Louis took his seat again. 

"We, umm dated," Louis said quietly as he took a sip of water. He was definitely going to need something stronger to survive this evening. 

Harry's eyes widened slightly. "Dated…oh…" he said. 

"It was while we were recording the album…it didn't work out," Louis explained. 

Harry's face went back to neutral. "Ah, I see," he replied. 

Louis made a face. "What?" he asked. 

"Shh, the girls are coming," Harry said and waved at the two wannabe pop stars. 

*** 

The ride back to the hotel was tense, to say the least. Louis’ previous bad mood was only intensified by Harry’s pissiness. 

"What? Did you expect me to become a monk?" Louis hissed as the car door closed. 

Harry looked out the window. "I didn't say anything," he replied. 

The eased out of the parking lot and headed back to the hotel. "Your lack of saying anything says a lot!" Louis huffed. 

Harry turned back to him. "You dated someone…fine…I don't want to talk about it," he said. 

"You broke up with me, remember?" Louis said after a beat of silence. 

Harry held his gaze as he said, "Believe me…I know."

**June 2021**

The European leg of the tour was going well. Night after night the boys performed in front of sold-out crowds. It was like they had never been away. The fans loved the new songs and sang along to the old favorites. It was so easy to get lost in all of it. 

Louis was grateful for the distraction since his mind kept going back to the distance Harry was keeping between them. It almost felt like back when Modest! wouldn't allow them to sit next to each other during interviews. 

He sighed as he looked out the window. It was a rare day off, but he couldn't go outside. None of them could. It was too risky with so many fans camped out on the street. 

"It's your turn, Lou," Niall said. The boys were gathered in the conference room at the end of the hall playing Ticket to Ride.

"Take my turn," Louis replied. 

"He's not supposed to see your cards," Harry huffed. 

"Oh my God," Louis grumbled. He sat back down at the table and took his turn. 

The rest of the day passed by painfully slow. Time had no meaning when you didn't have anything to do. 

Niall's phone rang, interrupting their FIFA tournament. He frowned when he looked at the Caller ID. "It's David…" he said. "Excuse me, fellas…" He walked out of the room to take the call. 

"Do you think David is Niall's mystery texting buddy?" Liam gossiped. 

"No," Louis and Harry said in unison. 

Liam made a face. "You don't have to be pricks about it," he huffed. 

A few minutes later a very pale Niall walked back into the room. He was so white he looked like a ghost. 

"Nialler, what's wrong?" Harry asked him as he helped Niall sit down. 

"Some pictures…leaked…" Niall stammered, his eyes were welling up. 

Liam knelt down next to him and gently put his hand on top of his. "It's okay…" he assured him. 

Niall shook his head no. "This is really…bad," he whispered. 

Louis squatted in front of him. He leaned forward and wiped the tears that had escaped down Niall's cheeks. "You can talk to us," he said softly. 

"There's something…I haven't told you lads…" Niall whispered. He swallowed and opened his mouth to speak, starting and stopping a few times before he said, "The pictures are of…me and Shawn…we're kissing in them."

Louis couldn't help but gasp. "You're together?" he asked. Niall whimpered, Louis’ reaction upsetting him even more. "Sorry, sorry…I just…oh wow…" 

"We've been together for a while now…he's the person I'm always texting...you guys know what it's like…we couldn't tell many people…" Niall said all sniffly. "It's been really great and now…everything is a mess."

"It’ll all work out," Harry said, resting his head on his shoulder. 

"Shawn's not allowed to come to any more shows," Niall explained, wiping the back of his hand across his face. "And I have to 'date' Hailee…who's also going to be coming on tour with us once we get to North America." 

"Stupid Dynamics…and their bloody stupid exclamation point!" Liam exclaimed. "I'll be so glad when we're out of their clutches!" 

Niall jumped a little at the volume of Liam's voice. "Hey, hey…Niall, sweetheart…it's going to be okay," Harry repeated, shooting Liam a look. 

"I'm sorry I never told you guys…I just didn't know how. I didn't think you'd be upset, but…sometimes I was scared that once you knew you could never un-know and what if you didn't like me anymore," Niall rambled. 

Liam, Louis, and Harry all wrapped him up in a group snuggle. "We all love you…and we're happy for you," Harry said gently. 

"You honestly thought Harry Styles…of ALL people…wouldn't accept the fact you're dating a bloke?" Louis said, almost laughing. "Oi!" he exclaimed when Harry's palm connected with the back of his head. 

*** 

Security was even tighter than usual after the ‘ 'Shiall incident' as it was called. Both Dynamics! and Shawn's people went into overdrive trying to explain away the picture. The whole situation disgusted Louis. He was thisclose to creating a countdown calendar to the day their contract expired, which he would then set on fire. Thankfully Shawn and Niall were able to talk and everything between the two of them was fine. 

Louis walked over to his hotel room door when he heard a knock. "Yes?" he asked. 

"You have a visitor, Mr. Tomlinson," the security guard said. 

"Erm, okay…" Louis replied and opened the door. "Um, hi…" he said when he saw it was Harry. 

"Can I come in?" Harry asked him. 

Louis crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, you're going to speak to me one on one? Or is Liam going to join us too?" he asked. 

"Please…" Harry said quietly. 

Louis immediately softened at that. "Come on in," he said, taking a step back and letting him into the room. "Do you want to sit down?" 

"Yeah, thanks…" Harry said, shuffling over to the couch. 

Louis sat down across from him. "You erm…have the floor…" he said. 

Harry raked his fingers through his hair. "When we broke up…I told you it was because I wanted to be on my own for a while," he said. 

This is what he wanted to talk about? Way to bury the lead, H! 

"Trust me…that's not a conversation I forgot," Louis said with a snort. 

"I lied," Harry blurted out. 

"What?" Louis asked him. 

Harry began to play with the hem of his shirt. "I was afraid if we stayed together…that we wouldn't stay together," he said to him. 

"I don't understand…" Louis replied, furrowing his brow. 

"What if we had stayed together…gotten bored with each other and broke up in some horrible way?" Harry said softly, concentrating on the ground quite intently. 

"H, that wouldn't have happened," Louis said to him. "We were solid…that wouldn't have changed." 

Harry looked up with watery eyes. "Lou, I loved you more than I thought I could ever love anyone," he said softly. "What if we had grown apart? I thought it would be better to hold onto the good memories than risk falling out of love." 

Louis stayed quiet…afraid Harry would stop talking if he started. 

"I created my own music, I met all kinds of new people, I traveled the world and whole time the only thing I could think about was how much better it would have been with you. How I could never fall out of love with you," Harry whispered. 

Louis could see tears slipping from the corners of Harry's eyes. He walked over to the couch and sat down next to him. "Don't cry, H," he said softly. 

He shook his head. "I screwed everything up," Harry insisted. 

Louis took a breath. "When I was dating Caleb I kept him at arm's length," he said. "And I thought it was because it was a new relationship and I was just getting used to him." 

Harry nodded his head as he blew his nose on his sleeve. 

"But it was because I was still in love with you. I could never fall out of love with you either," Louis revealed. 

"You're still in love with me?" he softly gasped. 

Louis felt his own eyes welling up. "I was in a pretty low place when I got here. And you showed me that I shouldn’t feel bad about myself. You helped me be proud to be me again. You're a pretty special guy, H…how could anyone else ever compare?" he said softly. 

"What…what do we do now?" Harry stammered. 

"First…" Louis said to him. "…we stop crying." He gently wiped away the rest of Harry's tears with his thumb. 

"And then what?" Harry asked, still a little sniffly. 

"Then we do this," Louis said. He pressed his forehead against his. He smiled as he looked into Harry’s eyes and kissed him, starting slow and sweet. As Harry parted his lips Louis memorized every inch of his mouth with his tongue. Harry wrapped one arm around his back and pulled him closer. 

Louis' palms traced each part of his body until his hand rested on the button on his pants. He could feel Harry grinning against his mouth as he placed his hand on top of his and helped him unsnap the button and then pull on the zipper. 

"Bed?" Louis murmured against his lips. 

"Bed," Harry confirmed, quite breathy already. 

Somehow they managed to get to their feet, tripping over each other, and Harry's jeans and pants, before they landed on the mattress. Louis reached into his bag under the bed for the necessary supplies.

When Louis reemerged he rolled on top of Harry. A moan of sheer pleasure escaped from Harry's throat as Louis grasped him in his palm. His lips found his again as he gently stroked and teased him open. Harry's hand trailed down Louis' chest. He tugged at the bottom of his hoodie and pushed it up, pressing his palm to Louis' now exposed skin. Louis let out a whimper and they paused the kiss long enough to lose their shirts. Harry pinched the elastic band on Louis' sweats and pulled them all the way down. After they finished disrobing they spent a long time kissing, murmuring, and touching one another. The simple gestures driving them both crazy. 

"Need you…" Louis mumbled, nibbling gently on his upper lip as Harry toyed with his nipples. 

Harry whimpered and mumbled back, "Need you too…" He pressed closer to Louis' fingers. 

Louis looked down at him as he replaced his fingers with himself, never breaking his gaze. He let out a groan as Louis gave him time to adjust to the feeling. Once Harry had gotten his bearings Louis leaned down to kiss him as he slowly built up a rhythm for them. 

It didn't take long for Harry to meet him each and every time. He dug his fingernails into Louis’ back as he clung to him like a second skin. And with a soft cry of the others name, they came together. 

*** 

"H?" Louis asked, pressing his lips to Harry's bare shoulder as they cuddled up after. 

"Hmm?" he asked lazily. 

"Why did you decide to come clean tonight?" Louis whispered. 

Harry shifted so he could see Louis properly. "Niall," he replied. 

Louis’ eyebrows shot up. "Niall?" he repeated. 

"He was honest about being with Shawn. And they're so in love. It was…I dunno…inspiring or something," Harry said sheepishly. 

Louis chuckled a little. "How eloquent," he replied. 

"Shut up…I'm in that post-coital bliss…I can't think right now," Harry said with a laugh. 

"You just said coital…your brain is working fine," Louis said and blew a raspberry on his cheek. 

"C'mere you," Harry said, slipping his arms around him and pressing their lips together. 

_***_

_"I thought we were going out to dinner…I got security all arranged," Louis said as he walked into Caleb's place. He was not dressed to leave the apartment. "Or we could order in…"_

_"We need to talk…well, I need to talk," Caleb corrected himself._

_Louis' raised an eyebrow. In all of history, nothing good had ever followed that statement. "Erm, okay…this sounds serious," he said. Caleb guided him into the living room and they sat on the couch._

_"I think…I mean…I know…we need to break up," Caleb said to him._

_"Break up?" Louis replied as if the term was foreign to him._

_"This relationship is one-sided…and as much as I want you to feel about me the way I feel about you...I don't think you do," Caleb explained. "Fuck, you write love songs that definitely aren't about me," he said with a sigh._

_"That's not true…I care about you a lot," Louis stammered._

_"You avoid going out with me…you don't want to meet my family…we're going nowhere, Louis," Caleb said._

_"Caleb, I…" he started to say._

_"Let's just end this before we end up hating each other," Caleb said sadly._

_When Louis left his place he knew he should be upset…but he didn't feel much of anything._

*** 

Liam wasn't exactly surprised when Harry and Louis walked onto the bus the next day hand in hand (he insisted he had predicted their reunion months ago), but he was kind of annoyed. 

"Everyone's in love except me!" Liam said with a pout. 

"What happened to that lovely girl you had a 'connection' with?" Louis joked. 

"Bloody Dynamics!" Liam groaned, sitting down at the table. 

"Amen!" Niall said as he walked onto the bus. "I just got scolded." 

"For what?" Louis asked, turning towards his friend. 

"I skipped out on an 'outing' last night," Niall said with a shake of his head. "I just couldn’t make myself do it."

"No!" Louis exclaimed. "No, no more of this shit. This ends now! This ends tonight!" 

Niall tilted his head to the side. "Wait, are you guys holding hands?" he asked. 

***

Louis only told a few key crew members about the plan. It would work better if the boys didn’t know anything. 

As they were running back on stage for the encore Louis spoke up, "We have a special surprise for you tonight. We're going to premiere a song…it's not on the album…it's something special we've been holding onto."

The crowd cheered loudly. Then again they had been cheering all night so it was hard to tell if they were excited about this or just a riled up bunch. The crew dimmed the lights and focused just a single spotlight at the front of the stage. 

"Harrrrry!" Louis called out. "I need your help!" 

A very bewildered looking Harry made his way to the front of the stage to join Louis. 

"Is everyone ready?" he asked. Yes…this time the crowd’s response was definitely louder. "Can you all please light up your cells for me?" 

Louis winked at his boyfriend and started to sing the napkin song. Harry, bless him, though, caught off guard was the consummate professional and joined right in. 

The glow from the crowd twinkled like fairy lights as everyone swayed from side to side...even Liam and Niall got in on the action, waving their phones in the air. Louis got a little choked up. While they were writing the song he had a picture in his head of what performing it would be like…this was much better. 

As the song ended, he grasped Harry's hand in his and they took a bow before embracing. 

"What the hell did you just do?" Harry whispered into his ear. 

"Played our song, love," Louis replied with a grin on his face. 

*** 

Syco was not happy with Louis and Harry after the little 'stunt' they pulled. There was lots of yelling and threats. Those threats proved to be empty, though, as the song was a hit and bootlegged mp3s were all over Tumblr by midnight. The label had no choice but to release a studio version. Suck on that, Syco! 

When the tour ended they parted ways with both the label and Dynamics! None of the boys were sad to see them go. As a group, they decided to take a break, but this time wasn't like the first. Everyone was in a good place, there would be no long silences between the boys anymore, and they would definitely be back. 

"So, I was thinking…" Louis trailed off. 

"Did it hurt?" Harry teased, tickling his side playfully. 

Louis rolled his eyes and swatted at his hand. "As I was saying…I know we've both been around the world, but do you maybe wanna see it together?" 

Harry smiled. "I thought you'd never ask," he replied. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story. A million thanks to Katie for letting me borrow her brain. Without her help I’d still be on page one!


End file.
